Oh yeah! Buster Keaton dropped by and starred in our music video for Weird. It was such fun working with him, that we had the crazy idea to host a contest. The below contest to specific, with all rules and prizes listed.

All are welcome and encouraged to take part!

Make Yourself Weird (A music video contest)

We at Subpar Co-star are a bunch of kooky, artsy types who adamantly believe that everyone can (and should) take part in the imaginative world of creation. We know how cathartic and fun it can be to work on a creative project and we want you to be a part of this one. Let your mind flow free and your personality shine through and make your own music video for Subpar Co-star’s “Weird”.

In making your own video, use whatever footage you would like: film it yourself; pull footage from public domain; make it a series of pictures one after the other; get avant garde and tell us video is dead by filming your big toe for an hour while the song is on repeat. The Sky is the limit!

Any and all submissions are welcome with a bevy of prizes to be given out to everyone who takes part. Make sure you keep your name on the video as we want you to get all the credit you deserve for putting in the time and effort to be part of this project.

1: Make a video however you want using whatever you’d like. Make sure you give yourself credit by naming the video “Subpar Co-star’s Weird by (your name here)”. Feel free to have this as text in the video, so it is easily seen once we share it.

2: Post the video to youtube.

3: Email us the link to the video at Subparcostar@gmail.com; include some basic details, such as your name, any details about the video or the process you would like to include, and any funny stories you have heard recently (optional). We are happy to post any thoughts you included in your email to the social media juggernaut when we share it.

4: We will be posting the videos on all of the related Subpar internet thingy-ma-bobs, so the whole world can revel in your creativity. Share the post with your video (as number of views will be a part of deciding the winner)

5: Have a beer or a smoke or read a good book to celebrate.

6: Wait for us to respond announcing the winner and runner-up of the contest. Winner and runner up will be based partly on how much the band enjoys the video and partly on how many people view the video.

Don’t worry about the quality of the film or the production involved. Just make it the way only You can. Below are a couple of links you can use to find footage to work with if you can’t or don’t want to film it yourself.

Everyone who submits a video gets one Subpar Co-star digital album of their choice for free, or (if requested) a hand-drawn physical copy of “Gidgets and Gadgets” album.

Runner up gets every digital album for free, a hand-made physical copy of The Idiot pop-up and short story collection, and admission to 1 show free.

Winner gets every digital album for free, a hand-drawn physical copy of “Gidgets and Gadgets” album, a hand-made physical copy of “The Idiot” pop-up and short story collection, admission to Subpar shows for a whole year, and a Subpar Co-star T-shirt.

Give a listen. For a limited time, we will be streaming the full live set of Subpar Co-star’s show at Sally O’Brien’s in Union Sq. Somerville, MA from October 11th. This was the last show Subpar played before going on hiatus to record a new album (also, James became a father and wanted to relish the new role.)

Hope you enjoy the show and it lets you laugh and cry and sing-a-long, as Subpar goes from tune to tune to poetry to jesting to hugging to saying “see you in a while, crocodile.” (you, being the crocodile.)

]]>https://subparcostar.wordpress.com/2014/11/20/live-at-sally-os-live-album/feed/0For Dig higher resolution sallys-poster1011subparcostarFor Dig higher resolution sallys-poster1011The Big Tip; a cheesy seduction (100th post)https://subparcostar.wordpress.com/2014/11/11/the-big-tip-a-cheesy-seduction-100th-post/
https://subparcostar.wordpress.com/2014/11/11/the-big-tip-a-cheesy-seduction-100th-post/#respondTue, 11 Nov 2014 21:34:56 +0000http://subparcostar.wordpress.com/?p=1101Continue reading →]]>My Customer leaned on the frame of the open doorway in front of me wearing nothing but a smile and a pink thong. She was attractively built with boobs standing at attention as best they could for a woman her age. I pegged her at fifty, but naked flesh always confuses my concept of age. I stood on the front steps of her house, mouth agape, wearing nothing but my Domino’s pizza delivery uniform with a large cheese pizza in my hands.

“Why hello, Mr. Dominos,” She said and I could almost hear the wink in her voice.

“Hello,” I lamely said back. “You ordered a pizza?”

“A nice, hot one,” she replied, a bit too practiced.

“Yup, definitely is.” I nodded, feeling the box burning in my hands. It felt similar to my face.

She leaned forward, tits first, and sniffed the air above the pizza box.

“mmm,” She moaned.

“mmhmm,” I replied

She pulled the top of the box open, making sure her chest stayed in full view. Her back arched as if the steam of the pizza was too hot for her bare flesh, then she leaned forward even further to inspect the $9 pie I carried.

“Oh, what’s this?” She asked with a teasing pout.

“One large, cheese pizza,” I answered having trouble looking away from her nipples.

“Cheese?” She raised an eyebrow to match the inflection in her voice. Her left pointer finger gave the cheese a quick stroke before being pulled into her mouth. She gave me a slow motion demonstration of how deep it could go. She pulled it sensually back past her lips. Her eyes closed just as the fingernail slid out.

“mmmm.”

“mmhmm.”

“I was certain I asked for a large sausage.” Her emphasis on the word sausage held the subtlety of a gangbang.

I opened my mouth to respond, but hadn’t figured out what I was going to say. The result was a stammered, “oh.”

“I guess we’ll just have to get creative, Mr. Dominos. Why don’t you come in while I grab your money? I’ll make sure it’s a big tip.”

“That’s nice of you,” I said. I looked at the threshold of the front door. The house inside seemed like another world. The entryway was filled with beautiful flowers carefully tucked into crystal vases sitting atop cherry stained end tables. A smattering of elegant picture frames flanked each of the vases. The picture frames contained photos of my customer, fully clothed and smiling, with a number of various people. The most prominent picture frame held the faces of two smiling teenagers. Judging by the shape of their cheeks and noses, they were her sons. I looked at the threshold again. It seemed like an impossibly long step to take.

My customer took a few steps back, away from the door. She made sure to turn and show me that her thong had nothing but a string covering her ass. She started to pat her naked flesh, as if it had pockets.

“hmm, where did I put that money?”

Her right hand strayed to her left breast and gave the nipple a tweak. Her left hand roamed down to her thong. She lightly played with her crotch, a smile on her lips as she stared at me. Her left eyebrow rose seductively.

“Oh,” She said in a tone that had nothing to do with money, “here it is.”

I stared dumbly at her left hand currently caressing her crotch. She took the opportunity to pull the right side of her thong slightly to the side. A $20 bill was tucked between her lingerie and her shaved skin.

“Well, go ahead,” She cooed. “Come get your big tip.”

My eyes lowered to the pizza box in my hands, giving a passing glance to the picture frame of the teenagers. Their smiles felt accusing. My mind had trouble sorting out my current circumstance. Being a delivery boy, I felt responsible to make sure the pizza made it inside the house.

I stepped over the threshold. Then bent forward and placed the box steadily on the wooden floor next to My Customer’s barefeet. She moved them slightly apart, spreading her legs wider. My hands free of the pizza, I stood up straight.

Her tongue lightly ran over her top lip and her smile grew wider. Her left hand strayed a little deeper into the depths of her crotch.

‘mmhmm,’ I thought. My right hand tentatively reached toward the thong. I took a deep breath, then made my move-

-“mmmmm.”-

-I yanked the $20 bill from the depths of her thong, spun on my heels, and sprinted to the delivery truck waiting outside. I jumped into the driver’s seat, threw it into reverse, and got the hell out of there.

Once, I was safely down the street on my way back to Domino’s, I gave myself a silent pat on the back for leaving the truck running. I took a deep breath then lit a cigarette. After a couple of drags, I wondered if My Customer had wanted change. I began to laugh at the thought, softly at first, but picking up steam with each chuckle. By the time I pulled into the Domino’s parking lot, I was laughing so hard I had to wipe the tears from my eyes. I waited outside the store until my giggles subsided and finished my cigarette.

“Just a overly friendly customer,” I said. “It would have been even bigger if the pizza had sausage on it.”

FanFan gave me a puzzled look. “Did she order a sausage pizza?”

“She tried,” I said, “but her sons ruined the order.”

It took FanFan a minute, but then his face broke into a wide smile as understanding began to dawn on him. He gave a hearty laugh. “My man, you should have made sure you got that order right. Would have been a hell of a tip.”

“Yeah,” I said and grabbed my next order. “Fucking teenagers ruin everything.”

]]>https://subparcostar.wordpress.com/2014/04/11/in-the-end/feed/0Going upsubparcostarGoing up“Artistic force of nature” an Interview with James from Subpar Co-star for the Somerville Timeshttps://subparcostar.wordpress.com/2014/04/01/artistic-force-of-nature-an-interview-with-james-from-subpar-co-star-for-the-somerville-times/
https://subparcostar.wordpress.com/2014/04/01/artistic-force-of-nature-an-interview-with-james-from-subpar-co-star-for-the-somerville-times/#respondTue, 01 Apr 2014 00:09:28 +0000http://subparcostar.wordpress.com/?p=1038Continue reading →]]>For those of you that enjoy looking behind the curtain, here is an interview James did for the Somerville Times. Interviewed by Blake Maddux, it covers a lot of ground in regards to the creation of The Idiot, and some of James’s general thoughts.

James Force is a tall, curly-haired redhead and self-described “lo-fi bohemian.” He records and performs under the alias Subpar Co-star. His influences run the gamut from writers such as Aesop and Shel Silverstein to musicians as diverse as Tom Petty, Weezer, and Nine Inch Nails.

Force moved to the Boston area in 2007, the year after he graduated with a degree in economics from the University of Southern Maine. In 2009, he co-founded the band Death and the Dance Machine, which stayed together until 2011. During that time, Force recorded Gidgets and Gadgets, his first Subpar Co-star album.

His latest offering is The Idiot, from which he will be performing songs at Bull McCabe’s April 4. Force answered some questions via email about his newfound inspirations, his musical collaborators and the transformation of the Union Square neighborhood that he calls home.

Blake Maddux: Who inspired the title of your new album, Fyodor Dostoyevsky or Iggy Pop?

James Force: I took the title of the new album from Fyodor. I am a big fan of his writing, and [his novel] The Idiot really struck a chord with me when I read it years ago. I loved that the main character’s name, Lev Myshkin, translated to Lion Mouse. I think it is an interesting way to look at a person — the strong and the weak within one’s self. Which wins, the meek or the muscle? The first song I wrote for the album was the last song on the record, The Lion and The Mouse.

That being said, I like to think Iggy Pop would approve.

BM: Who were some of the people with whom you worked on The Idiot?

JF:The Idiot has some fantastic musicians who make up the live band for Subpar Co-star these days. It was a very communal music process and the complete opposite of how I recorded Gidgets and Gadgets. We all contributed in multiple ways, from backing vocals to percussion to glockenspiel to spoken word.

We recorded the album at Adam Sherman’s place just over the tracks in Cambridge, and Adam did all of the electric/melodic guitar. Erik Spooner (a fellow Union Square-er) did all of the noise/ambient guitar that provided a lot of atmosphere and texture to the songs. And the most talented and beautiful violin player I have ever known, Jenée Morgan Force [his wife], did some wonderful playing onWeird and Anya, then got goofy with us and did some of The Lion and Mouse voiceovers.

It was very nice because when I was mixing the album, I had a 30-minute walk from my place in Union Square to Adam’s place, and in that time, I would imagine all sorts of absurdity. Once there, I had three great musicians who were able to give me honest critiques on why we shouldn’t all make pigeon noises for the first half of a song. But when the idea was crazy enough to work, they were a great source of wisdom in making it come out as best as possible. The noise track The Vigil is a good example, as is the rain we recorded for Rogue Sin. I initially wanted it to be a monsoon.

BM: For how much of the finished product were you completely responsible?

JF: I wrote all of the initial song structures – chord progressions and such – as well as all the lyrics. The book of short stories that accompanies the album was written, edited and published by me. I also did all of the mixing on the record. The art was a group effort, with Adam bringing the visual world to life.

BM: You recently got married. How did entering the world of wedded bliss affect your creative process?

JF: Entering the world of wedded bliss was joyful and rejuvenating. Jenée and I got married in late May of 2013. It was very exciting and gave me a whole bunch of positive energy to attack the project with. In practical time commitments, it definitely slowed down the overall timeline of the album, as there was a good month that I was only doing wedding-related activities, and the record had to sit on the back burner. It actually worked out well that way, because we had recorded all of the backbone tracks by that point, and it gave me a month to listen to the rough concept of the songs and just get a feel for what they were trying to emote. When we got back into recording and overdubbing, I felt much more comfortable in just letting the songs be what they wanted to be, rather than demand every song has a solid drum part and multiple harmonies and such.

BM: Why are there several references to sharp objects in the news songs?

JF: It ties into the stories. I think of bleeding as a poetic way of giving it your all, and not necessarily in a positive way. Sometimes it’s just mania; sometimes it is taken from you. Sharp objects draw blood (science lesson), and they can be wielded by yourself or someone else or they are just sitting around, and you don’t notice them until it is too late. In the original book The Idiot, a knife plays a pivotal role, and when I was working on the album the image just kept floating back to the surface of my mind. A knife is a very powerful symbol, I think.

BM: What are some of the changes that you have witnessed on your home turf of Union Square? What are some that you anticipate?

JF: We have definitely been seeing the beginning of some major changes in the area. The Green Line is coming at some point, so I am told, and as such the whole square seems to be preparing to have a facelift. It is neat to see how the area develops, but I fear I am going to be priced out sooner than later. Already many restaurants have been bought and converted into newer, hipper establishments. Unfortunately, it has also been driving out some of the music establishments, as it is getting too pricey to be a dive bar. For the most part, though, the tried-and-true businesses have stayed, and they are some of my favorite: Bull McCabe’s, El Potro (freaking amazing), Bloc 11, Hub Comics and Sherman Cafe.

The one big change that made me scream “NOOOOOOO!” into the sky was Precinct closing. That was my favorite place to catch live music in Union, and I had played some of my most memorable shows there. My first show as Subpar Co-star was at Precinct. It was just me playing solo for three hours for this really nice Somerville couple who was raising money for a charity in India. Also, my last show with my former band, Death and the Dance Machine, was at Precinct.

BM: You say that you are “in it for the art, not the money.” However, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to make a living by writing and performing?

JF: It definitely would. I just find that in the modern times, there is a big push to be creative for monetary means. I feel there is a current view to judge the quality of things by how much money it has made or how much it costs to purchase it. A consumer Calvinism, if you will: It made money, so it must be good. And if it isn’t making money, it isn’t as respectable. Even our activism has a dollar sign attached these days. I just think it is better to focus not on whether something would be popular, but more on if it is creatively fulfilling as the creator. I think if you are working on projects that you find artistically/philosophically/creatively stimulating, you are more inclined to let your own personality shine, and I, personally, love the art that has the most personality. It is rewarding. If enough people really enjoyed my creative output that I could work exclusively on it for a living, I would be ecstatic, but I try not to keep that as a driving force in why I do what I do creatively.

BM: Fill in the blank: “I will that I were half the songwriter that ____________ is.”

BM: What can newcomers expect from your April 4 show at Bull McCabe’s?

JF: A hell of a fun night that will twist your perception of what a local show is. As a band, we have a lot of creative outputs. At the shows, we don’t just play songs. We have a tendency to add poetic flair in unexpected places. At one show, there was an epic fight with puppets. It was pretty darn rad. You will definitely see an acoustic guitar make noises you never thought an acoustic guitar could make. You will also see a green vest. All in all, you will see lots of stuff, and other than the vest, you won’t be sure what it is.